Chapter 13 The funeral ceremonies and burials of the Igbo people are extremely complex, the funeral of a chief is the most complicated. Often in the Igbo culture the Chief's funeral is very bloody.First of all, the chief’s family washes the body directly in the death chamber. The body is placed on a high bush table ("ojo") and covered with cloths, strings, manilla, and young palm leaves, symbolizing rebirth.The oldest daughter then leads a procession of family and friends around the compound, singing and dancing.
The chief’s son-in-law, then lays a feather of an eagle on top of the corpse, which must be slain by a blood relative, to be buried. then there are many sacrifices for the chief. First a dog is chosen
Family Member Funeral Dance
because of its power of clairvoyance and ability to foresee danger and evil. The dog is beheaded and the children draw a circle around the corpse with the dripping blood. A cat is chosen because of its spectacular night vision in order to bring the chief good eyesight in the underworld, an eagle is chosen to bring the chief good eyesight in the light, and a parrot is chosen because of its clear voice so that the chief will always be heard in his next life.The next sacrifices are slain by the relatives on the chief's mother's side of the family. A goat is selected because of its sturdy feet, to carry the chief wherever he would like to go. After the animals, the slave wives of the chief are sacrificed. First is the one special slave wife (the "Aho'm"), she is slain and thrown into the grave and the rest if the wives must have their arms and legs broken and are buried alive with the body. Only the bravest and strongest men are selected to perform the courageous task of breaking the bones. Depending on the chief, there may be more human sacrifices. Some families have bodies hanging from posts or trees around the burial square. If the chief is rich enough, several more slaves are slain at the place where the chief is bathed, ate, slept, received guests, and as a gift to the trees. At the tree at which ale is worshiped ("ogrisi"), the slaves have their throats cut and the blood is poured at the roots to fertilize the tree. The Igbo then signal the ancestors of the arrival of the chief by playing drums and trumpets. They then close the grave slightly but leave a small hole for the last sacrifice. The strong men capture a man from another tribe, behead him, and place his head in the small opening.The death chamber ("Obiri") is decorated with the skulls of the victims and the family has a great feast of the flesh of the animal and human sacrifices.For the next three months, the widows sleep in the "Obiri" in order to guard the "ojo". The widows must wear mourning clothes for an entire year.
Men playing a drum at a funeral
Funerals are different from person to person and also the way that person died. If an Ibo woman dies, she is buried at the home of the son. If she has no son, her body is thrown into a bush. The children that die are buried within their parents' houses. The Igbo also have "bad deaths" including: women who die in confinement, children who die before they have teeth, suicides, and those who die in the sacred month.The Igbo also believe that certain people must be put to death lest they shame the entire group. These include twins, children whose upper teeth came in first, children who were born feet first, boys with only one testicle, men with elephantiasis of the scrotum, and lepers. The bodies of those killed are thrown away in secrecy.
11/13/08 Andy Shuey Pg:120-125
Chapter 13
The funeral ceremonies and burials of the Igbo people are extremely complex, the funeral of a chief is the most complicated. Often in the Igbo culture the Chief's funeral is very bloody.First of all, the chief’s family washes the body directly in the death chamber. The body is placed on a high bush table ("ojo") and covered with cloths, strings, manilla, and young palm leaves, symbolizing rebirth.The oldest daughter then leads a procession of family and friends around the compound, singing and dancing.
The chief’s son-in-law, then lays a feather of an eagle on top of the corpse, which must be slain by a blood relative, to be buried. then there are many sacrifices for the chief. First a dog is chosen
After the animals, the slave wives of the chief are sacrificed. First is the one special slave wife (the "Aho'm"), she is slain and thrown into the grave and the rest if the wives must have their arms and legs broken and are buried alive with the body. Only the bravest and strongest men are selected to perform the courageous task of breaking the bones. Depending on the chief, there may be more human sacrifices. Some families have bodies hanging from posts or trees around the burial square. If the chief is rich enough, several more slaves are slain at the place where the chief is bathed, ate, slept, received guests, and as a gift to the trees. At the tree at which ale is worshiped ("ogrisi"), the slaves have their throats cut and the blood is poured at the roots to fertilize the tree. The Igbo then signal the ancestors of the arrival of the chief by playing drums and trumpets. They then close the grave slightly but leave a small hole for the last sacrifice. The strong men capture a man from another tribe, behead him, and place his head in the small opening. The death chamber ("Obiri") is decorated with the skulls of the victims and the family has a great feast of the flesh of the animal and human sacrifices. For the next three months, the widows sleep in the "Obiri" in order to guard the "ojo". The widows must wear mourning clothes for an entire year.
Funerals are different from person to person and also the way that person died. If an Ibo woman dies, she is buried at the home of the son. If she has no son, her body is thrown into a bush. The children that die are buried within their parents' houses. The Igbo also have "bad deaths" including: women who die in confinement, children who die before they have teeth, suicides, and those who die in the sacred month.The Igbo also believe that certain people must be put to death lest they shame the entire group. These include twins, children whose upper teeth came in first, children who were born feet first, boys with only one testicle, men with elephantiasis of the scrotum, and lepers. The bodies of those killed are thrown away in secrecy.
Igbo Funeral for a Grandmother
Igbo Culture